Rafael Nadal and Stanislas Wawrinka are on course to meet in the Mubadal World Tennis Championship (MWTC) final after the pair were kept apart in the draw on Saturday.
Taking place from December 31 to January 2, MWTC will see six of the world’s best tennis players contending for the title in Abu Dhabi.
Led by tournament ambassador Pat Cash, the draw at Yas Mall set up a showdown between Spain’s world No 7 David Ferrer and Frenchman Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga, the world No 10, as the opening match of the tournament.
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Day 1 will also host a battle of the big-servers as South African world No 12 Kevin Anderson faces Canada’s world No 14 Milos Raonic. Therefore, Wawrinka, the two-time grand slam champion, and former world No 1 Rafael Nadal both received byes into the second day of MWTC.
The winner of the Ferrer-Tsonga contest will take on Nadal for a place in the final, with Wawrinka awaiting the outcome of the Anderson-Raonic match.
“The Mubadala World Tennis Championship always serves up some amazing action and memorable tennis for the Middle East,” Cash said during Saturday’s draw. “Every player likes to get their year underway with a good, solid performance and hopefully a win, so to do it here in Abu Dhabi against the best really helps build confidence for the year ahead.
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“Players love coming and competing here in the UAE and although we see fierce competition on the court, there is a relaxed environment off of it and players have the chance to spend time meeting fans and coaching youngsters. Overall it is a great experience for all, and a fantastic display of the sport we love at its best.”
Tickets for MWTC are available at www.ticketmaster.ae and all Virgin Megastores across the UAE.
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